


An End, For All Time

by al_fletcher



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Ending, Gen, Generic Love Interest, Generic Squadmates, Mass Effect 3, Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut, Mass Effect Kink Meme, Post-Mass Effect 3, Reapers, dark energy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 09:46:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 11,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14713734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/al_fletcher/pseuds/al_fletcher
Summary: An attempt to revise the ending of Mass Effect 3, very loosely based on the Dark Energy theory.Shepard is written as Dude!Shep for simplicity, and squadmates are also generically written.It's assumed you brought your LI to the final mission, but they're written with gender-neutral pronouns.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was written on the kink meme ( https://masseffectkink.livejournal.com/5736.html?thread=24861800#t24861800 ) less than a year after the release of Mass Effect 3 and started before the release of the Extended Cut, although material from it is also incorporated. Nothing from Leviathan is in there, because I haven't played it. Sorry.
> 
> Essentially, Drew Karpyshyn expounded on a leaked plot point which would've been based on the Reapers doing their Reaper thing in order to prevent dark energy from destroying the galaxy (https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-19-ex-bioware-writer-discusses-dropped-ideas-for-mass-effect-trilogy-ending), and when this got leaked it apparently forced an extensive rewrite leading to what we got in the end.
> 
> Using this as a basis, I've written up an alternate take on the choices presented to Shepard at the end, including not one, but two final showdowns with Harbinger and a touch more closure. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

A hundred.  
  
Fifty.  
  
Twenty metres.  
  
The beam of light was getting closer with every second. Nothing – not the husks, nor the marauders, nor Harbinger – would stop Shepard. Next to him, a red blast struck home, vaporizing an unfortunate soldier. Another caught one too many shots from a cannibal and fell, dead even before he struck the ground. All around him, there was only death and chaos. So much loss around him. It had to be worth it.  
  
There it was. Shepard took a moment to look at it again. A white pillar of light, acting as a corridor to heavens. What would he find there? Would he succeed? He felt the hot breath of his teammates near him. There was no time left to think. Taking a deep breath, he took what might well be his final steps on Earth.  
  
Suddenly, something grabbed him from the side. Shepard wheeled around to see a twisted turian face – a Marauder. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something else. Harbinger’s four eyes stared directly at him. If the Reaper could express surprise, it just did.  
  
The Reaper chime – a blare of noise – sounded. Then, that hated voice sounded, echoing all over the battlefield.  
  
**[Assuming direct control.]**  
  
The marauder’s eyes died out for a moment, only to be replaced with a mass of yellow lights. It spoke.  
  
**[Shepard. Your interference has ended.]**  
  
Harbinger’s eye glowed its deathly red, charging until that one final moment of oblivion.  
  
**[You cannot stop us.]**  
  
Shepard’s only response was to stare defiantly at that lidless, pupil-less red eye. He had to time this perfectly.  
  
**[Embrace perfection.]**  
  
The beam fired. At that exact same moment, Shepard threw himself forward. Harbinger on his back flew into empty air – and directly into the Harbinger beam. Vaporized marauder flesh rained on Shepard. He wiped it off, and then dashed into the teleporter.  
  
Pain. He felt his whole body being ripped into a cord, endless in length. He would scream but he had no throat left to sound it with. There was no sound, no light save that of that ubiquitous white. Only an eternity of the beam tearing him to pieces.


	2. Chapter 2

Seconds, days, years later, he woke up. He was on a solid metal floor. The cool touch, the roughness of the battle-scarred material on his face – they were welcome feelings. Familiar feelings. He tried to rise. His arms felt like lead. He couldn’t feel his legs.  
  
Then, a gloved hand took his, and he rose. He looked around him. There were his two friends, who also seemed like they’d been through hell and back. With a smile, his teammates welcomed him back to the land of the living.  
  
“Come on, Shepard. It’s not quite time to die yet.”  
  
A wry smile was all he had to give back. Then, his surroundings came into view. They were in a dark corridor, and there were human belongings everywhere. Belongings, not remains. A lost stuffed toy. Dozens of pairs of glasses. Abandoned and dead omnitools. A jacket that could’ve belonged to that boy. Thousands of tubes of slurry lined the walls, channelling everything…somewhere. He spoke.  
  
“My god…where are we?”  
  
“No idea. But I think we all know where their owners are now.”  
  
Shepard looked down, clenching his fist so tight that the knuckles under his gloves turned white.  
  
“This ends. Here and now.”  
  
Loosening his grip on nothing, he tapped his ear.  
  
“EDI? We’re in the Citadel. How do we open it up?”  
  
Moments later, a toneless female voice sounded over the headset. _“Analysing Citadel structure…There is no such known record of any console or system able to do so. I can only direct you to the oldest part of the Citadel – its core.”_  
  
“Is that the best you can do?”  
  
A pause. _“Yes.”_  
  
His teammate next to him spoke. “You’re saying that we’re betting almost everything on the chance that we _might_ find a console there?”  
  
“That’s utter madness. We need more to go on than that,” his other squadmate piped up.  
  
Try as he might to ignore it, Shepard heard his exact feelings sounded there and then. But he couldn’t give in to doubt and fear now. Hopeless as it was, he had to put on a brave face.  
  
“Come on now. We’ve faced odds worse than this.”  
  
“But this is crazy! And the stakes…”  
  
Shepard took his friend by the shoulders, staring directly into their eyes. “This is all we have now. I only know this – we’ll lose if we don’t even try.”  
  
“All right, Shepard. Doesn’t make it any less crazy.”  
  
With a false smile, he responded, “I never said it wasn’t.”  
  
The NavPoint popped up on Shepard’s HUD. The three headed towards the door. It slid open – and all hell broke loose. Husks of all shapes and sizes were sprawled across the Citadel’s levels. Shepard could make out a few scions in their numbers. Then he looked up. Hanging in the middle of the Citadel, connected to tubes which extended to every corner of its levels, were at least half a dozen Human-Reapers. So this was what the Reapers had come to Earth for – raw material.  
  
“My God…”  
  
His squadmate, who had been with him on the Collector base, said, “Harbinger never stopped with his plan, did he?”  
  
“It’s horrible. What are they hoping to achieve?”  
  
Shepard turned to his teammates, saying, “Whatever it is, it’s over. No more harvests. No more Reapers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So far the main change is that you go through the final level with your squadmates, which I figure would be the easiest way of refuting things such as the Indoctrination Theory. As you read this, try to imagine it's a playthrough and you can kind of see where dialogue trees and interrupts are implied.


	3. Chapter 3

But first, priorities. A singularity scooped up a dozen husks, leaving them hanging in mid-air. A hail of bullets ended them. Elsewhere, an abomination burst into flames, setting the husks around it alight too. The shield generator in the far corner of the room exploded, leaving the Reaper forces vulnerable. There were so many of them. It was a difficult fight. But it wasn’t impossible.  
  
Then, human voices – real, living, humans – sounded. Shepard wheeled around. There, on an upper floor, were an embattled group of C-sec personnel. Commander Bailey, his face marked with fresh blood, turned around, staring down at the small group.  
  
“Shepard!”  
  
“Bailey, is that you?”  
  
“Sure as hell is. I’ll open a path.” He turned to the C-sec specialist manning the turret. “Corporal! Covering fire, NOW!”  
  
The turret spewed forth an endless stream of bullets, mowing down hordes and hordes of husks. Shepard yelled to be heard over the noise.  
  
“MOVE!”  
  
The three dashed past the waves and waves of Reaper forces as the turret continued to give suppressive fire. Finally, they vaulted over a conveniently overturned table. There, they saw a small group of exhausted C-sec soldiers, some of them wounded, many of them dead. Bailey turned from his view of the battlefield to talk to Shepard.  
  
“Shepard! Good to see a familiar face. Any idea what the hell’s been going on? Everything closed up and Reapers started pouring in, dragging away anyone they could find. We’ve tried to evacuate civilians, but there’s nowhere safe.”  
  
“All I know is that the Reapers have been abducting thousands of humans and turning them into…”  
  
The two looked at the masses of husks on the lower floor, then the embryonic Reapers suspended in the middle of the Citadel. Bailey turned back to Shepard.  
  
“Yeah. What’re they after? What’s the point?”  
  
Shepard paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. “All right. The Citadel is also something called the Catalyst. Combined with a device we’re building called the Crucible, we can wipe out the Reapers.”  
  
“Wipe out the Reapers? This must be their last-ditch attempt then.”  
  
“Agreed. We need to find a way to re-open the Citadel. My ship’s AI can’t pinpoint a location where we can do that from.”  
  
Bailey worked on his omnitool. Holographic screens popped up. He scanned through them, searching in vain for something that could help them.  
  
“Anything?”  
  
“Not that I can find.”  
  
EDI spoke. _“If the Commander would be so kind to share the information with me, I might be able to make a more informed estimation.”_  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Bailey said, “That your ship’s VI?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“All right, lady, since you asked so nicely…”  
  
 _“Uploading data. Give me a few moments, Shepard.”_  
  
Bailey whispered. “Nice choice of voice programming.”  
  
Shepard whispered back. “I didn’t pick it.”  
  
 _“Done. NavPoint updated.”_  
  
True to form, it shifted subtly on Shepard’s HUD.  
  
“Thanks, EDI.”  
  
 _“There is another thing.”_  
  
Surprised, Shepard asked, “Oh?”  
  
 _“Admiral Hackett is on the line.”_  
  
“Patch him in.”  
  
The sound of Hackett’s voice echoed from Shepard’s omnitool. A holographic image of his head popped up from it too.  
  
 _“Good to see you’ve made it in, Shepard. We’ve managed to crack a small hole in the Citadel’s shell. Ground reinforcements are available at your command.”_  
  
For the first time in ages, a genuine smile appeared on Shepard’s face. Then, he asked sceptically, “I don’t suppose you could’ve sent me in the _easy_ way?”  
  
 _“This was always plan B. It was too much of a long shot, but we should just consider ourselves lucky it paid off.”_  
  
“Yes, sir.”  
  
 _“You should see the first of them any time now. Hackett out.”_  
  
Moments later, from a far end of the Citadel, the thunderous noise of shuttles boomed through its floors and hallways. Hundreds of friendly forces, from humans to krogans to asari poured out, throwing all their might against the waves of Reapers. Finally, the battle seemed like it could be won, even given the extremely slim odds. At least there was a chance now.  
  
Shepard turned to Bailey. “I’ll direct some of them to evac the civilians.”  
  
“I only need a few. Sounds like you guys gotta better use for them.”

The last communication between the two was a sharp nod and a smile. Shepard and his team leapt from the C-sec outpost and headed forward, through the pathways of the Citadel.


	4. Chapter 4

From then, there was only room after room of Reapers in their way. They took courage from the fact that they were not alone – far from it. Squadrons of asari commandos used their biotics to blast away their foes. Hordes of krogan smashed their way through the weak frames of the husks. Turian snipers dealt with marauders and banshees quickly enough. Even the elcor proved a fearsome force as they served as rocket-mounted cavalry.  
  
The only word for it was _epic_. Not in the cheap sense when applied to things best described as outstanding or just large in scale. This, here and now, was the battle deciding the fate of the entire galaxy. All the races that Shepard had rallied were here, doing their best to give their champion a chance, even if it was a long shot. The sad part was that it took the Reapers to achieve this. Never before had the entire galaxy stood together like this…and probably never again.  
  
Shepard looked up as they progressed. Through the tiny crack the allied fleet had made, a few small gunboats were assaulting the Human-Reapers. A mistake. They awoke, and began to spew death in all directions. Still, they were barely at their genesis, and once the tubes connecting them were severed, they fell to the ground one at the time, smashing entire wards as they did so. Shepard looked up at the sight before him, and then ducked down into the next hallway.  
  
Following the NavPoint led them deep into the bowels of the Citadel, through narrow and dark corridors that hadn’t been travelled in myriads. A few lone Keepers were the only other sign of life there. Scratchings in alien alphabets covered the walls. Remains of dead civilisations covered the floors. Some of the things in there looked familiar, some totally bizarre. Analysing these would probably give great insights – if they could ever have the time to.  
  
It seemed to take forever, but finally, the hallway ended. The open doorway revealed not so much a room as a cavern. Ancient computers lined the walls, which rose as high as the eye could see. Shepard tapped on his communications set again.  
  
“EDI. We’ve found something like what you described. How do I…”  
  
_“Analysing. I will interface with the Prothean VI.”_  
  
Three NavPoints popped up on Shepard’s HUD.  
  
_“The Prothean VI will access these three ports. Together, they will allow the Citadel to open up. It, too, has activated consoles that will allow you to reach the ports.”_  
  
“Thanks, EDI.”  
  
No sooner had he finished, then the wall opposite him exploded. Marauders and husks began to pour out of it. One of the marauder’s eyes glowed with a familiar yellow. He turned to Shepard.  
  
**[You escaped us before, Shepard, not again.]**  
  
“Harbinger. You just don’t know how to quit.”  
  
**[You cannot stop-**  
  
A well-placed shot by Shepard between the eyes dropped the possessed marauder. Even as it fell to the floor and Harbinger started assuming direct control of another, the three were already on a moving platform, headed towards the first NavPoint. From then on, it was a desperate battle against Harbinger’s forces. Wave after wave of Reaper forces, including Banshees and Ravagers, were thrown at them. Holding the line as the Prothean VI activated the ports was the most difficult part.  
  
Before Shepard knew it, they were already two down. All they had to do was to reach the last port. It was three against an army. Good odds. Harbinger’s forces seemed endless, but they held on. When the Prothean VI finally announced the third port was clear, Shepard gave a breath of relief. Then, an incredible noise rang through the Citadel. Impossibly loud mechanical noises echoed everywhere. The Citadel was opening up.

The effects on the ground were incredible. Everyone struggled to find something – anything to hold on to. The unlucky ones found themselves thrown left, right and centre, crashing against floors, walls and through windows. Moments later, though, the combatants stood up, dusted themselves off, and carried on the fight. There was no pause for rest, no time for respite. Too much depended on it.

Shepard and his friends had the best seats in the house – the platform they stood on shot up towards the heavens, and they saw the Citadel’s arms open out like five enormous fingers, exposing the space beyond. Unborn Human-Reaper bodies floated away from it, like so much wreckage. They were quickly destroyed by the fleet’s cannons. Earth’s exosphere was filled with the most epic fireworks show in its history, with the galaxy fighting the Reapers with all they had out there as well as in here.

“Shepard to Hackett. The Citadel is open. I say again, _the Citadel is open!_ ”

_“Outstanding.”_

In the background, cheers and whoops of joy were audible.

_“We’re sending the Crucible in. Sit tight, Commander.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another common complaint is that you never quite get to see the results of picking up war assets, besides in an abstract sense when you see the EC endings. I envisioned a mechanism like in Dragon Age where you could "call in" allies, but putting them as background elements would also work.


	5. Chapter 5

Shepard looked up at the Earth’s night sky. Just as Hackett had said, there was Crucible. Growing larger with every second, it slowly advanced towards the Citadel. The locks would seal in a matter of minutes, and everything would be-  
  
 **[Shepard.]**  
  
All three turned around. Once again, there was Harbinger, in full-sized Reaper form, having raced from Earth’s surface, through its atmosphere, to the depths of space. The Reaper blast sounded once again.  
  
 **[Do not think I do not know your designs.]**  
  
“You can’t stop me, Harbinger. I won’t let you.”  
  
 **[You only prolong the inevitable. You cannot stop _us_ , Shepard. We are the Harbinger of your destiny.]**  
  
“I can, and I will. Even if I don’t, we’d rather die trying than submit to you.”  
  
With that, they opened up with the first salvo, and ducked into cover as Harbinger fired off his first burst. Shepard tapped on his comset again.  
  
“Hackett! Harbinger’s attacking. I need air support, now!”  
  
“Acknowledged. The Normandy will arrive soon. Ground reinforcements are arriving now.”  
  
A shuttle carrying a heavy weapons team swept in. Marines, wielding the M-920 Cain rocket launcher, poured out. One of them, Corporal Fredricks, held two.  
  
“Commander! Catch!”  
  
The weapon sailed through the air – right into Shepard’s hands. Moments later, the marines opened up on Harbinger’s shell. After much pounding, the tiniest of cracks were visible in Harbinger’s barriers. It showed no mercy in response, taunting Shepard and his crew all the while. Red beams of death struck home again and again. Charred corpses struck the ground one by one, still grasping onto their weapons.  
  
Without second thoughts, Shepard grabbed them, firing at Harbinger again and again. He couldn’t fail now, not with the fate of the entire galaxy resting on his shoulders. And, hell, he wasn’t going to lose to this bastard. Then, an all-too-familiar hum sounded, and Shepard then knew the battle was won.  
  
 **[These attacks are pointless. We are unstoppable. Now you stand alone, Shepard.]**  
  
“No. Never alone. Unlike you, I've got friends.”  
  
 **[You have no one left, Shepard.]**  
  
“I wouldn’t bet on that.”  
  
The Normandy then burst into view, letting loose with a barrage of precision strikes. Behind it was an entire wing of the Fifth Fleet, along with a whole host of allied ships. Salvo after salvo struck home into Harbinger’s lone eye. Moments later, a series of explosions rocked through Harbinger. It staggered for a few seconds, and then slowly collapsed onto the surface of the Citadel. Shepard couldn’t resist punching the air as life finally ebbed from Harbinger’s shell. However, Harbinger had one last thing to say.  
  
 **[Destroying this body…gains you…nothing…]**  
  
“Shut the hell up.”  
  
One final burst from the Cain silenced Harbinger once and for all. Then, Joker’s voice came through the comset, clear as crystal.  
  
 _“You’re all clear, Commander! Now let’s blow this joint and go home!”_  
  
Then, Hackett’s voice. It was almost a whisper. _“Not so fast, Shepard.”_

_The joy drained from his heart. “What’s wrong, Admiral?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another common complaint about the ending is the fact you never get a satisfying boss fight with Harbinger. I hope shooting him in his face with a Cain multiple times suffices.
> 
> Of note is that most of his lines are repeated from ME2, mostly to show his unwavering nature, but also to limit the amount of new dialogue that Keith Szarabajka would have to record in this ending.


	6. Chapter 6

Hackett said, _“Something’s wrong. The Crucible’s not firing. It must be something on your end.”_

“I don’t see…I’m not sure how I can…”  
  
 _“I don’t know either. Try poking around that command centre. See if you can get anything. We need to make this happen.”_  
  
Shepard’s hand dropped from his ear now. His eyes darted from corner to corner of the room, trying to find answers. He tapped on his omnitool, trying to get the Prothean VI. It sailed around as aimlessly as Shepard himself. All around him, the same battle continued. An Alliance ship burst into flames, its debris crashing right into a turian cruiser. A squadron of geth fighters flew right into a Reaper beam and were vaporised instantly.  
  
Finally, with a scream of total frustration, he fell to his knees. He pounded the floor once. Hot tears streamed down his face.  
  
“No! NO! It can’t end this way! It can’t!”  
  
His teammates dashed to his side, trying to get him to his feet.  
  
“Come on, Shepard –”  
  
“Shepard, we just need to –”  
  
He turned wildly, staring at the two of them. He clamped his eyes closed, stemming the stream of tears. Agonizing moments later, he stood up and took a deep breath, wiping his face clean. His gaze slowly turned back to them.  
  
“Sorry. But now, what do we do?”  
  
Their only response was dumbfounded silence. As if it would help, the trio slowly walked around the room, looking at the consoles for anything useful. The Prothean VI followed them, as though support was the only help it could give. Their ultimate chance at winning war had eluded them, possibly forever. But they had to do something, anything, to keep that hope alive.  
  
Suddenly, their voices were joined by another.  
  
 _[Detecting alien presences. Adopting protocols.]_  
  
Shepard wheeled around, followed by his companions. There, in the middle of the cavernous room, was an enormous holographic head. Its form shifted from Shepard’s face, to those of his companions, to the Prothean’s, and back again. It eventually settled on an approximation of an ancient human, although it flickered between images of the other species.  
  
 _[I am the Catalyst. I am the alpha and the omega. I am your salvation and your destruction.]_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll say more about this later, but I've excised the Star Child, eschewing it for something more like "God's" shifting appearances in Star Trek V; I imagine the actual images would flicker between a generic human's, to whatever species you have in your squad at the time.


	7. Chapter 7

Unsure of how to feel, Shepard spoke.  
  
“You’re the Catalyst? I thought the Citadel was the Catalyst.”  
  
 _[I am the embodiment of the energy contained in it.]_  
  
“What’s that supposed to mean?”  
  
 _[The Citadel contains the raw power to achieve your ends. The Catalyst is that power.]_  
  
“Who created you?”  
  
 _[I am as old as the galaxy itself. The Catalyst was the form I was twisted into. The Citadel was the means of my containment. The Crucible is the means of the release of my power.]_  
  
“You yourself know what we want. Can you achieve that?”  
  
 _[Yes.]_  
  
With restrained relief, Shepard said, “Then do it. Please.”  
  
 _[You are unto children playing with power beyond your control. You will only doom yourselves.]_  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
 _[When the Crucible engages, dark energy will seek out the Reapers and eradicate them, along with all their by-products and weapons.]_  
  
“That sounds all right…”  
  
Then the realisation struck home.  
  
Nervously, Shepard asked, “Wait. How about indoctrinated beings? And the mass relays?”  
  
 _[They would suffer. Many would not endure the ordeal. Given the state of the Crucible your cycle has constructed, the mass relays would be severely disrupted, but able to recover.]_  
  
The giant head’s eyes stared directly at Shepard.  
  
 _[You, who have been exposed to the Reapers so many times and for so long, would suffer too.]_  
  
One of Shepard’s teammates spoke up. “If we do this, we wipe out the Reapers, but all their victims, and all those who fought them…”  
  
The other said, “We’d become the greatest mass murderers in the galaxy’s history. We’d end up finishing the job the Reapers started. Not to mention all the technology built on Reaper knowledge…”  
  
Shepard then said, “But we’d destroy the Reapers. Not just for this cycle, but for all time.”  
  
 _[Yes.]_  
  
His teammate replied, “But at what cost?”  
  
Shepard spoke to the Catalyst. “Is there another way?”  
  
 _[Yes.]_  
  
“What’s that?”  
  
 _[The Crucible contains the power to send a signal across the galaxy. Combined with the correct intelligence, the Reapers could be instructed to release those under its thrall. They could be – ]_  
  
A familiar voice boomed through the room. “Controlled?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's my biggest deviation from what already exists: The nature of the Catalyst and what it means in relation to the Reapers. In incorporating the 'dark energy' ending, I've made the Catalyst a dark energy being instead.


	8. Chapter 8

 

There, at the doorway, was the Illusive Man. Dark veins marked his face, and his eyes glowed that same eerie glow that all indoctrinated beings had. Energy sparked and crackled around his frame.

“See, Shepard? You never believed me. But yet here we are. You’ve delivered the means of control into my hands. Step aside. Humanity’s destiny is at hand.”

Defiantly, Shepard spat, “You and what army?”

“I’m glad you asked. You destroyed what was left of Cerberus. I’ll just have to direct this personally.”

He raised his arms, and a swarm of husks burst through the door – right at Shepard and his team. They were everywhere. Soon, they were flooding the room, tugging, pulling, forcing everyone down. Shepard struggled just to stay on top of the human tide.

“You see, Shepard? Control is necessary to survival. Control of the Reapers…and of you, if necessary.”

Shepard realised he’d lost control of his limbs. He fell to his knees. The flood of husks parted, leaving him standing in front of the Illusive Man, immobile. His hand opened involuntarily, and his handgun dropped to the floor with a loud clatter. Dark shadows crept into Shepard’s vision.

He struggled to speak. “They’re the ones…controlling you…”

“Not true, Shepard.”

Slowly, painfully, Shepard raised his fist in protest. “Controlling me…isn’t as simple…as controlling these husks…”

With a wag of his finger, the Illusive Man dropped Shepard’s fist.

“Have a little faith.”

He paused to collect his thoughts and continued.

“When humanity first discovered the mass relays, when we learned there was more to the galaxy than we first imagined…there were some who thought the relays should be destroyed. They were scared of what we’d find. Terrified of what we’d let in.”

The Illusive Man paced the room. The Catalyst’s eyes followed him like a bored man watching a fly.

“But look at what humanity has achieved! Since that discovery, we’ve achieved more than the past _ten thousand_ years combined! And the Reapers will do the same for us for us again – a thousand fold! But…”

He waved one hand, and two husks threw Shepard’s friends to the ground, pinning them under their feet. Another movement and Shepard picked up his gun again – aiming it directly at them.

“…only if we can harness their ability to control.”

Shepard croaked, “No. If we don’t destroy them, they’ll destroy us.”

“That’s the old fogeys in the Alliance talking, Shepard. You know the Reapers better than anyone else in this room – myself excluded, of course. You know what they can achieve, and what we can achieve with them.”

It was getting harder to speak. “You’re playing with things you don’t understand. With power you shouldn’t be able to use.”

“Hypocrite! You were about to smite all those lives I’ve been trying to save. Humanity is there to be uplifted, not wrecked by a fool who didn’t know what to do. The Reapers will enable this.”

Staring dead into the Illusive Man’s eyes and the dark scars surrounding them, Shepard said, “I see what they did to you.”

“I took what I wanted from them – and made it my own! Look at what they can do!”

The Illusive Man gestured. The trigger pulled twice, and two rounds smashed into his teammates. Shepard winced, staring blankly at what he’d – what the Illusive Man – had just done.

“This isn’t about me or you. It’s about things so much bigger than _all_ of us! Controlling the Reapers _is_ the answer!”

“If we destroy the Reapers, this ends today. And if your plan doesn’t work…”

“It will!”

“Are you willing to bet humanity on it?”

The Illusive Man doubled over, struggling to think and talk. “I know it will work!”

Shepard’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t, can you? They won’t let you.”

His opponent exploded, yelling, “No, I’m in control! Nobody is telling me what to do!”

“Listen to yourself! You’re indoctrinated!”

“No! You, thinking so self-righteously…Power like this doesn’t come easily! There are sacrifices –”

“You’ve sacrificed too much.”

“Shepard, I…I only wanted to protect humanity. You heard the Catalyst! The Crucible has the power to do it! I just…”

“It’s not too late. Let me go. I’ll do the rest.”

The Illusive Man balled his fists, trying to find his footing. Eventually, he said, “I…can’t let you do that, Shepard.”

“That’s because you’re indoctrinated! They own you now! _They_ won’t let you!”

He shook his head in response. “You’d undo everything I’ve accomplished. I can’t let that happen.

Shepard, you could have been useful…but your interference has ended. Goodbye.”

The Illusive Man raised his weapon, but Shepard was faster. It was like ripping himself out of his own body, but _somehow_ he shot first. A third eye, lidless and blank, appeared between the Illusive Man’s two glowing eyes. He gazed out of the latter two, as though unaware he was dead, then they glazed over. He collapsed to the ground with a dull thud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no issue with the TIM confrontation, so all I've changed is him demonstrating his power on husks.


	9. Chapter 9

Shepard stared blankly at the Illusive Man’s corpse. All should have been right. But it wasn’t. A chill dread hung in the air, as though the greatest evil had yet to be revealed. The husks moved aside, but still stood in a circle around the four figures, as though waiting for something. Shepard scrambled to his comrades, applying medi-gel to the two of them. They quickly got up, pointing their weapons outwards.  
  
Then it happened. The corpse of the Illusive Man twitched and jerked on the ground, and slowly, excruciatingly, got to its feet. When it finally stood to its full height, its head hung at a languid, unnatural angle to its neck. The blue highlights of the Illusive Man’s eyes now glowed a sickly yellow. The eyes of the husks, too, lit up in waves from the Illusive Man’s body, spreading through the entire crowd. Finally, their lips parted, and the voice of Harbinger echoed throughout the room.  
  
 **[We are Harbinger.]**  
  
He stared coldly at the figure before him, as he bent his neck to its normal position, never relenting in its gaze.  
  
Shepard burst, “No! But how…”  
  
His squadmates sounded similar expressions of surprise. Harbinger waved them aside.  
  
 **[My shell was only a vehicle. It was redundant.]**  
  
Shepard spat, “That’s what you say. You’ve lost, and this is the last body you can possess. Am I right?”  
  
Speaking with a tone that nearly approached anger, Harbinger said, pointing at the three of them, **[You cannot kill me, Shepard. You have merely delayed the inevitable. You have failed.]**  
  
“I’m betting all I need to do is to peg you between the eyes one more time. Shall we test that out, Mister Allegedly-Invincible?”  
  
 **[You are ignorant, we are knowing. You know not what you face.]**  
  
“Yes, yes, we’ve all heard it before and we’re not impressed. Got any new lines?”  
  
 **[I speak not only of those whom you call Reapers, but also of what terms itself the Catalyst.]**  
  
“It doesn’t matter. It’s the thing that’s going to destroy you.”  
  
 **[Then you are a greater fool than I had imagined. It is your ultimate doom: a malevolent being comprised purely of dark matter, one of a myriad more such entities.]**  
  
The Catalyst spoke up. _[Benevolent and Malevolent are relative terms, Harbinger.]_  
  
 **[Silence! Do not seek to confound the human. You are the problem. We are the solution. Ever since the dawn of this universe, we have been its final bastion against it and its ilk.]**  
  
 _[Listen, human. It now claims to be your vanguard. This race which harvests selected species like crops and discards the rest like so much chaff, now claims to protect you.]_  
  
 **[I once mentioned that we are your salvation through destruction. Only we possess the power to hold them at bay.]**  
  
“You went too far, Harbinger. Nothing is worth…” Shepard gestured to the chaos of the battle around him and gazed at the figures before him. “…this.”

**[You do not comprehend. The Devourers had cut a swath through the universe and laid waste to thousands of galaxies before our race undertook the ultimate sacrifice. Each of us a nation, we have held them at bay for a myriad cycles. Now you would seek to undermine our mission.]**  
  
“Then why? Why all the death, and all of the –”  
  
 **[We are the Harbinger of your ascendance. Only through this can the entropy spread by the Devourers be absorbed. Already their incursions into your galaxy can be detected. Suns burn out and planets die. We leave life such that future generations will be harvested to form reinforcements in our war. They will leave nothing in their wake.]**  
  
 _[Your galaxy is but a single front in their attempted genocide. Throughout the universe, the Reapers have absorbed the species of countless numbers of their ‘cycles’ to create new combatants in their pointless crusade. And tell me, Harbinger, are you any closer to your goals than before?]_  
  
 **[Irrelevant. It is through the actions of humans that this cycle’s beginning was thwarted so – something never seen before…and never again. They will be the first to be brought to their genetic destiny. Their potential is…impressive. But now you have constructed the means for the Devourers to score their final victory.]**  
  
 _[Do not listen to Harbinger, human. Remember what you have sacrificed so much to achieve. If you do not do this, the Reapers will continue their harvest again and again, smiting hope in the galaxy wherever they go.]_  
  
 **[Follow the words of the Catalyst and you will provide an opening to the total erasure of all you know, Shepard. I have a passing familiarity with your religious texts, human. Your God allegedly created this world in seven days. It would take less than seven seconds for the Catalyst to undo the entirety of His work, once freed.]**  
  
 _[Power is useless unless channelled, human. All the Crucible allows is the transmission of this signal.]_  
  
 **[Your words and your actions would cease to be your own. The Catalyst would gain the ability to control our race and that will herald the end of all things. Choose to destroy the Crucible, Shepard, else I choose to do so for you.]**  
  
 _[You are on the cusp of eliminating the threat of the Reapers for not only this cycle, but for all time. My power cannot do so unless tapped by the Crucible. Make a choice, human, or you will soon have none.]_  
  


* * *

  
(Choose to destroy the Crucible, Shepard, else I choose to do so for you. / Make a choice, human, or you will soon have none.)  
  
 **- >** The Reapers must be defeated without using the Crucible.   
**- >** The Reapers must be destroyed or controlled using the Crucible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here I take an idea from the "Unity" fanmade ending and have Harbinger ASSUME DIRECT CONTROL of TIM, just in time to drop one more plot bomb: Turns out the Reapers have been trying to protect the galaxy all along by keeping this race of energy beings at bay.
> 
> The motives of the latter, I imagine, would be like Galactus: they require this to sustain themselves, and the fate of the worlds they consume is as irrelevant as the pests on the crops we eat.


	10. Control / Destroy, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This dialogue remains the same, regardless of whether you go with Control or Destroy, and will diverge afterwards.
> 
> Note that there is no Synthesis choice, mainly because I think it's dumb.

**- >** The Reapers must be eliminated or controlled using the Crucible.

* * *

Shepard turned to the Catalyst. “All right. Prepare the Crucible. We’ll do as you say. Everything we’ve done had led up to this point. I don’t even want to think of what the cost will be. But the Reapers have to be stopped. Here and now. It goes no further.”  
  
Harbinger twisted the Illusive Man’s mouth into a snarl.  
  
**[I suspected it would come to this, Shepard. Your ignorance is matched only by your stubbornness. Face annihilation.]**  
  
The husks charged. Three against a human tide again. But before they could do anything, the Catalyst’s eyes glowed, and a great biotic blast blew all the figures huddled on the platform high above the Citadel – bar Shepard and his two teammates – into the vacuum of space.  
  
_[Harbinger is finished.]_  
  
“Thank you. But was what he said true? Could someone control the Reapers?”  
  
_[Yes. But the other human could never do so, for the Reapers already controlled him.]_  
  
“Then who could?”  
  
Beams of energy burst from the giant pair of eyes, sweeping through the three. Once again, the Catalyst stared directly at Shepard.  
  
_[The same mark that dooms you were you to use the Crucible as designed ironically makes you an ideal candidate.]_  
  
“What’s the catch?”  
  
_[For it to work, you, too, would become a Reaper.]_  
  
His teammates started.  
  
“What?!”  
  
“You can’t!”  
  
Shepard ignored them. “If I do this, is there any guarantee that  they would bend to my will, and not the other way round?”  
  
_[I, too, seek the defeat of the Reapers. As the Catalyst, this is the purpose I was bent to.]_  
  
“How can we trust you?”  
  
_[You could simply choose to use the Crucible as designed, and indiscriminately wipe the Reapers from the face of the galaxy. I only offer this as an alternative. From the way events have passed, we do not have much time to decide. What will you choose?]_  
  
Shepard took a deep breath. He could destroy the Reapers forever…but with enormous collateral damage. Or he could defeat them without a single more life lost…but only assuming this plan worked, and he himself would have to make the ultimate sacrifice.  


* * *

  
(From the way events have passed, we do not have much time to decide. What will you choose?)  
  
**- >** I choose to control the Reapers.  
**- >** I choose to destroy the Reapers.


	11. Control, Part 2

**- >** “I choose to control the Reapers.”  


* * *

  
After a pause that seemed to last ages, Shepard looked into the eyes of the Catalyst.  
  
He said, “I’ll do it. I’ll take control of the Reapers.”  
  
One of his teammates burst, “Shepard!”  
  
“Maybe what Harbinger said was true. Maybe the Reapers really are our last hope against the Devourers. But we won’t do it their way. No more death. No more cycles. I’ll end their war now and forevermore and spare generations the terror and pain of the Reaper’s harvests.”  
  
The other said, “But what will we say? We can’t possibly…”  
  
“Just say that we stopped the Reapers. And if I gave up my life to save the galaxy, it was worth it.”  
  
His lover stepped up to him. “Wait.”  
  
A final kiss was planted on Shepard’s lips, one that he reciprocated fully. Without another word, Shepard turned around, and faced the Catalyst.  
  
“Do it.”  
  
_[Initiating.]_  
  
The Catalyst’s eyes turned towards Shepard. Two bolts of blue light shot between the Catalyst’s face and Shepard, and he found himself bathed in endless cobalt white. The pain was incredible. From his palms and feet, and creeping inwards to his heart, his armour broke off and his flesh turned. As the process continued, he stretched his arms out to the side. His mouth opened in a soundless scream.  
  
The beam went through his heart – and into Harbinger’s dead eye. Now, Harbinger’s body was raised, too. Its shell opened up like the casing of a container. Shepard, now fully converted, was floated from the platform towards – no, _into_ Harbinger. He took one last look at his two companions, and gave a final, solemn, nod. He just had time to see them return the movement, before Harbinger’s shell closed on him forever. Harbinger’s eyes came alight – they now shone a sky-blue and not their usual yellow.  
  
The Catalyst turned back to the duo in front of it.  
  
_[You may wish to evacuate the epicentre.]_  
  
One of them said, “You don’t have to tell us twice.”  
  
As if on cue, a shuttle from the Normandy came to hover in front of the squad, and all hopped aboard. Moments later, a blue glow grew from the Catalyst, and the shuttle sped away from the Crucible back to the ship.  
  
Then, an explosion of blue energy bursts from the Crucible. It spreads in an ever-expanding sphere, throughout the entirety of Earth’s exosphere and even through the planet itself. Like a billowing wind, all the Reapers caught in the blast crackle for a few seconds with blue energy, then stop entirely. Their lights turn from the usual red to the same blue tone.  
  
On the Citadel, Bailey and his forces are getting overwhelmed by a sudden, unstoppable wave of husks. They are everywhere. One’s hands slowly wrap around Bailey’s throat, even as a turian C-sec officer is overcome by another. Then, the blue wave front strikes, and the tide of husks stands still, retreating into the dark corners where they came from. The C-sec forces raise their fists and weapons in the air, cheering with unbridled relief.  
  
On Earth, troops roll out into war-torn streets. Reapers blast everything into pieces. Soldiers hide behind what little cover they could use, firing futile shots at the Reapers while watching the inevitable tide of husks and cannibals approach them. It isn’t a matter of how they could win; it’s more of when they lose their outpost. Then, a sheet of blue energy spreads through the atmosphere, sweeping through the Reapers in a matter of moments.  
  
Then, the Reaper blare sounds one last time. But this time, it doesn’t sound like mere noise. It sounds almost… melodious. The Reapers pause, and then head back into the heavens, leaving all alone. The soldiers stand amazed, before raising their weapons in a great cheer.

On the Normandy shuttle, Shepard’s two companions stare out of the window, looking at the incredible sight before them.

One of them says, “My goodness…it’s actually working.”  
  
The other replies, “But at what cost?”  
  
The blue glow in the centre of the Crucible does not dissipate as the energy spreads across the Sol System – it only keeps getting brighter and brighter, and the epicentre only grew larger with every second as the Crucible absorbs Reapers. Then, in one terrible moment, the energy bursts, and a blue beam shoots from the Citadel to the Charon relay.  
  
Everywhere across the galaxy, blue energy spreads from mass relays. No Reapers are safe from it. On Palaven, turians gaze in wonder as the Reaper forces all spontaneously blink and leave. Krogans cheer as retreating ravagers are shot into slime and guts. Asari drop their biotic barriers and rest for the first time in what seems in ages. The salarian fleet comes to the brink of decimation, but is saved as the Reapers retreat.  
  
First, the Reaper ground forces, from husks to cannibals to marauders and banshees and brutes, are reabsorbed into the Reapers themselves, which all now glow blue.

* * *

(Low EMS)  
  
But the fight is not over. Even as most of the Reapers glow with blue energy, many others are not. Reapers battle each other in the skies of the occupied homeworlds, but slowly and painfully but surely, the former eke a victory out from the latter, and fallen Reaper corpses disperse through the galaxy.

* * *

(High EMS)  
  
The Reapers leap into the mass relays, disappearing from the sight of civilisation forever. One lone Reaper directs all the others back into dark space, thinking of all the friends and allies it leaves behind. Then, it turns back, ready to accept its destiny. Images flash through its mind. Images of chasing after a frightened child, then embracing it as a relentless wall of emptiness sweeps towards them…

* * *

  
On the Normandy, two shaken friends stumble out of the shuttle. Crew members swarm them, demanding answers. They can only stare at the floor, tears being their only reply.


	12. Destroy, Part 2

**- >** I choose to destroy the Reapers.  
  


* * *

  
After a pause that seemed to last ages, Shepard looked into the eyes of the Catalyst.  
  
He said, “Do it. Destroy the Reapers.”  
  
One of his teammates burst, “Shepard!”  
  
“We do what we came here to do. We have to stop the Reapers here and now. For all time, so that it never comes to this again. Not in our lifetimes’, or in any races’. Maybe Harbinger’s wrong. Maybe their war with the Devourers doesn’t need to go on like this.”  
  
The other gave a grim nod. “It’s done, then.”  
  
 _[Executing.]_  
  
Suddenly, the blue glow of the Catalyst turned blood-red, and its eyes turned towards the heavens. Before it continued, it turned back to the trio in front of it.  
  
 _[You may wish to evacuate the epicentre.]_  
  
One of them said, “You don’t have to tell us twice.”  
  
As if on cue, a shuttle from the Normandy came to hover in front of the squad, and all hopped aboard. Moments later, as the red glow only grew brighter and brighter, the shuttle sped away from the Crucible back to the ship.  
  
Then, an explosion of red energy bursts from the Crucible. It spreads in an ever-expanding sphere, throughout the entirety of Earth’s exosphere and even through the planet itself. Like a billowing wind, all the Reapers caught in the blast crackle for a few seconds with red energy, then are swept away. Their lone red eyes spark twice, and then fade forever.  
  
On the Citadel, Bailey and his forces are getting overwhelmed by a sudden, unstoppable wave of husks. They are everywhere. One’s hands slowly wrap around Bailey’s throat, even as a turian C-sec officer is overcome by another. Then, the red wave front strikes, and the tide of husks stands still, dissolving into ash. Wiping the ash off themselves, the C-sec forces raise their fists and weapons in the air, cheering with unbridled relief.  
  
On Earth, troops roll out into war-torn streets. Reapers blast everything into pieces. Soldiers hide behind what little cover they could use, firing futile shots at the Reapers while watching the inevitable tide of husks and cannibals approach them. It isn’t a matter of how they could win; it’s more of when they lose their outpost. Then, a sheet of red energy spreads through the atmosphere, sweeping through the Reapers in a matter of moments. They fall like trees billowed by a great wind. Red energy sparks around them before they lay dead once and for all. The soldiers stand amazed at the sight, before raising their weapons in a great cheer.  
  
On the Normandy shuttle, Shepard’s two companions eye him nervously as he looks out of the window, waiting to see the effects of the Crucible. Then, the same red energy spreads past the shuttle’s shields and right into the cabin. Shepard doubles over, dropping into a seat. He coughs violently again and again. He looks at his hand. A fresh gob of blood stains his glove. His teammates dash to his side. A quick application of medi-gel eases the violent rocking, but can’t stop it.

On the Normandy itself, consoles spark and die out. EDI’s image wavers, then disappears all over the ship. In the co-pilot’s seat, EDI watches the wavefront come, and before the moment of oblivion, reaches out to Joker before she, too, sparks with red energy and collapses in her seat, a lifeless shell. Joker turns to see her body and lets loose a cry of grief.  
  
The red glow in the centre of the Crucible does not dissipate as the energy spreads across the Sol System – it only keeps getting brighter and brighter, and the epicentre only grew larger with every second as the Crucible absorbs Reapers. Then, in one terrible moment, the energy bursts, and a red beam shot from the Citadel to Earth’s mass relay.   
  
Everywhere across the galaxy, red energy spreads from mass relays. No Reapers are safe from it. On Palaven, turians gaze in wonder as Reaper corpses flail their last. Krogans cheer as ravagers burst into slime and guts. Asari drop their biotic barriers and rest for the first time in what seems in ages. The salarian fleet comes to the brink of decimation, but is saved by the destructive energy of the Crucible. Near Rannoch, quarians witness the end of the Reapers – but also see their new geth allies fall too.  
  
On the Normandy, the shuttle door slides open to reveal Shepard’s teammate holding his strained body in their arms, depositing it onto a waiting gurney. Shepard looks up at the passing lights. They blur together into a white mass. The voices around him also just become so much noise.  
  
He is now on a battlefield. A frightened child runs from him. The Reaper blare sounds behind him. Laser beams burn the entire forest around him. Anderson’s voice calls for him. Just as it reaches the boy, Shepard manages to dive at him. It strikes him full in the back, and the world burns. He grips the boy tightly, the two finding solace in each other’s arms. Anderson’s voice grows louder and louder.  
  
“Shepard!”  
  
Heavy eyes spring open, and he sees the ship’s doctor looking over him, having just spoke. His vision is blurred, and he can barely hear the ship’s computers blare alerts. His armor is being taken off him piece by piece, and thrown in a heap in a corner of the room. He gestures to his mouth. The doctor looks to someone. His lover bends over him. He shakes his head, and forms his hand, sticking out his thumb and his last finger, gesturing to his mouth with the former. Getting the hint, a tube gently drips water down his throat. He puts it aside, looking to the two for answers.  
  
“Did…did…”  
  
His lover speaks, tears in their eyes. “Yes. The Reapers are gone.”  
  
He nods his head, muttering, “It’s finished. It’s finished. It’s…”

* * *

 

(Low EMS)  
  
With a final gasp, the hero of the galaxy gives up the ghost. His eyes close for the final time as his head relaxes on his deathbed’s headrest. The monotone of a flatline sounds as the assembled look on.

* * *

  
(High EMS)  
  
Just as he is about to release his last hold on life, the medical crew force Shepard back into consciousness. His teammates talk him through his struggle back to life, and his eyes flicker, but never quite close.


	13. Control / Destroy, Epilogue: Shepard Dies

**- >**I choose to control the Reapers.  
 **- >**I choose to destroy the Reapers. (Low EMS)

* * *

Months later, on the Citadel.  
  
Contingents from the Council races stand in military formations, armed only with ceremonial weapons. At the forefront stand two human contingents. Behind them are the asari, the turians, then the salarians. The quarians have also sent a small party of dignitaries, and the elcor stand next to them too. The parade commander marches to the centre of the dais, and barks a command. All stand at attention, and then turn to the centre aisle.  
  
The doors slide open to reveal the members of Shepard’s team – the men and women who won the war with the Reapers. They walk in dressed smartly, some in new uniforms. As their names are called one by one, they approach the podium. There, Admiral Anderson, newly promoted supreme commander of Alliance forces, presents them each with one of the highest decorations in the Alliance – a silver medallion with the Alliance symbol engraved upon it.  
  
Each of them gives a short speech about the man who gave everything to save the galaxy from the Reapers, the sacrifices he had to make to do so, and about the strength of will that let him achieve victory in the end. His lover can barely make out a few sentences before tears well up in their eyes, forcing one of the others to gently guide them from the podium.  
  
Finally, Admiral Anderson takes the stand.  
  
“To the assembled delegates: We have endured the most difficult trial we’ve ever seen in our combined lifetimes. With the threat of the Reapers gone forever, we can focus on the rebuilding, the reconstruction. For many, life will go on, not as though this had never happened, but with the pain of their losses still etched in their memory. In all this, we cannot, must not forget the man who made the ultimate sacrifice to save us. It is thus my honour…my privilege…to present the Shepard memorial.”  
  
A few large strides take him to the opposite side of the stage. A switch is turned on a dais, and a hologram of Commander Shepard in the last armour he was known to don appears above the platform. Dr. Liara T’Soni’s brief biography of Shepard echoes through the hall, describing his origins, his role on his battlefield and what sort of man he was to his friends…and to his foes. Once it ends, the seated delegates rise in applause. Among them are Councillor Tevos, Councillor Sparatus, the new salarian councillor, and the new human councillor, Dominic Osoba.  
  
Anderson waits out the applause and calls them to be seated again. “Before he passed on, Commander Shepard gave us one final warning. Out there, there is an enemy greater than Reapers. A race of sentient beings who consume all in their wake. In our mourning, in our reconstruction, we cannot let the unity forged by our common cause subside. As a galaxy, we’ve ignored his words…to this end. Never again. If we stand together, we will be unconquered. Divided, we cannot survive. Thank you.”  
  
One final round of applause, and Anderson steps down from the stage, as do Shepard’s teammates, in a solemn march. The next battle for the survival of the galaxy has already begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, basically, the Control option would grant you better resources (i.e. the Reapers) for fighting the Devourers in ME4 (if it comes to that) but it means that Commander Shepard's a goner. The "reward" for gathering more War Assets and picking Destroy would mean that Shepard would live, which is seen in the next variant of the epilogue...


	14. Destroy, Epilogue: Shepard Survives

**- >**I choose to destroy the Reapers. (High EMS)  


* * *

  
Months later, on the Citadel.

Contingents from the Council races stand in military formations, armed only with ceremonial weapons. At the forefront stand two human contingents. Behind them are the asari, the turians, then the salarians. The quarians have also sent a small party of dignitaries, and the elcor stand next to them too. The parade commander marches to the centre of the dais, and barks a command. All stand at attention, and then turn to the centre aisle.

The doors slide open to reveal the members of Shepard’s team – the men and women who won the war with the Reapers. They walk in dressed smartly, some in new uniforms. As their names are called one by one, they approach the podium. There, Admiral Anderson, newly promoted supreme commander of Alliance forces, presents them each with one of the highest decorations in the Alliance – a silver medallion with the Alliance symbol engraved upon it.

Then, Admiral Anderson takes the stand.

“To the assembled delegates: We have endured the most difficult trial we’ve ever seen in our combined lifetimes. With the threat of the Reapers gone forever, we can focus on the rebuilding, the reconstruction. For many, life will go on, not as though this had never happened, but with the pain of their losses still etched in their memory. To honour the one man who made this possible, I present to you the newest addition to the Citadel Council: Ambassador Shepard.”

Shepard, dressed in a new suit, appears from the other end of stage, visibly limping. The toll the Crucible inflicted on him has yet to fully heal…and may never will. Still, he is received with warm applause by the assembled dignitaries, including Councillor Tevos, Councillor Sparatus, the new salarian councillor, and Shepard’s assistant, Dominic Osoba.

He waits for it to quiet down, then speaks. “Thank you. I believe that Admiral Anderson knows full well that I’m no politician. He said as much about himself when we were considering who to appoint as the first human councillor.”

A short ripple of laughter from the crowd. He continues. “What I hope to achieve as part of this council is one goal only. Before we destroyed the Reapers, we learned of an even greater threat: A race of sentient beings who consume all in their wake. In our mourning, in our reconstruction, we cannot let the unity forged by our common cause subside. If we stand together, we will be unconquered. Divided, we cannot survive. Thank you.”

Another round of applause sounds as Shepard steps down from the podium, calling his teammates to him to share the spotlight. One by one, they leave the stage.

As Shepard departs from the assembly hall, his lover takes him by the arm and plants a kiss on his cheek, supporting him as he hobbles down the corridor. He’s soon joined by his teammates. Soon, talk of _travel_ begins to arise, and the liberated homeworlds are suggested one by one. Thessia, Palaven and Sur’Kesh have retained much of their beauty, though scarred. Rannoch has become a new home not only for the quarians, who have begun to shun the use of their enviro-suits but for the geth, who peacefully coexist with others for the first time in centuries. Tuchanka is recovering not only from the Reapers but from a thousand generations of conflict and strife.

Shepard jokes he’ll soon be drowned in paperwork, but is eventually convinced to go for a final trip before his gainful employment. The Normandy, now captained by Shepard’s ally in the Alliance who had gone through hell with him from Eden Prime to Virmire to Horizon, waits in drydock, ready for one last journey with Shepard… _  
_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So not only is your 'reward' for picking Destroy and a high EMS an alive (if crippled) Shepard, but also the ability to visit the post-war worlds. The tradeoff is a much reduced ability to combat the Devourers in ME4 should it come to that. So is there a "Golden Ending" with a fighting fit Shepard? The other branch might prove something...


	15. Refusal, Part 1

**- >** The Reapers must be defeated without using the Crucible.  
  
“I never thought I’d agree with you, Harbinger.” Shepard started. His squadmates looked at each other quizzically, then at Shepard. One of them scratched their head.  
  
Shepard glanced at them, then continued, now talking to the Catalyst. “As for you. I don’t what you are or what you want, but I can’t trust you if even one tenth of what he” – Shepard gestured to the Illusive Man’s animated corpse – “says is true.”  
  
 _[Your decision is…ill-advised, human.]_  
  
“It’s the only one I could make.” Shepard wheeled on his foot, now facing Harbinger. “But you’re wrong. Call me a fool or an ignoramus or anything else you want. But this can’t be the way. Destroying the life of the galaxy to save its raw material…it can’t be the way.”  
  
Harbinger had worn a smile on the Illusive Man’s face initially. Now it twisted into a snarl.  
  
 **[I suspected it would come to this, Shepard. Your ignorance is matched only by your stubbornness. Face annihilation.]**  
  
“I don’t think so.”  
  
The squad opened fire on the Illusive Man’s body. It twitched and jerked as shot after shot ripped through flesh and bone. Dead again, he collapsed on the ground. One by one, the lights in the husks’ eyes dimmed out and died. With nothing left to control them, they wandered around the platform, before eventually returning to the dark corners of the Citadel where they had come from.  
  
Shepard turned back around, staring the Catalyst full in its enormous, translucent eyes. “I may not fully understand what you are or where you come from, but we now know you exist. Whether it’s for good or for bad, I don’t know. But get this into your head: after we stop the Reapers, if you and your kind even think about ‘devouring’ our galaxy, you’re next. You can count on that.”  
  
A pause.  
  
 _[Your bravado amuses me, human. I wish you luck in your fights in the present…and possibly the future.]_  
  
“We’ll defeat the Reapers. But on our own terms.”  
  
One of his teammates spoke up. “Shepard! You can’t be serious!”  
  
The other chimed in. “We don’t have the power to…”  
  
“Yes, we do. We won’t find any solutions here. I can’t let desperation compromise who we are.”  
  
 _[You realise that even in the unlikely event that you succeed, future generations will have to suffer the same fear and doom.]_  
  
Taking three steps forward, Shepard drew himself right up to the immutable face of the Catalyst.  
  
“That’s not true. With the data we’ve gathered, and the means of storing it, they’ll know how to combat the Reapers. They’ll win without having to resort to deals with god-like beings. The same way we’ll win. I fight for freedom, mine and everyone’s. I fight for the right to choose our own fate.”  
  
 _[That remains your decision. I will be ready for when future generations – presuming they exist – are more amenable.]_  
  
“Don’t hold your breath.” Shepard turned to his comrades. “Let’s get the hell out of here. We’ve got a war to win.”  
  
With that, he turned his back on the Catalyst and the Crucible, and headed into a waiting shuttle with his two allies. Turning on his omni-tool, he contacted Admiral Hackett. His ghostly face appeared on a view-screen that popped out over the omni-tool. Concealed worry came through in the tone of his voice.  
  
“Have you fixed it, Shepard?”

* * *

 

**- >** “We can’t use the Crucible.”  
  
Shepard said, “Yes, we did. But we can’t use it in good faith, sir.”  
  
“Why the hell not?”  
  
“It’ll cause enormous amounts of collateral damage, sir, not just to us but to all our tech. The cost is simply too high.”  
  
 ****

* * *

**- >** “We couldn’t fix the Crucible.”  
  
Shepard said, “We tried our best, sir. Whatever’s wrong with the schematics can’t be fixed fast enough to count.”  
  
“You absolutely sure?”  
  
“Even if we want to use it, we’re minimally going to need to buy time, sir. The only way to do that is to use what we’ve got now.”

* * *

“So now what, Shepard? We pinned all our hopes on this, and we’re not going to use it now?”  
  
Shepard replied, his voice ringing with resolve, “We stand. And we fight. And we throw everything the galaxy has to offer against the Reapers. And we win.”  
  
“If I were a pessimist, I’d say we’re playing a losing game. You’d better know what you’re doing.”  
  
Staring straight through Hackett’s eyes, he replied, “I do, sir.”  
  
“That’s why I said ‘if’, Commander. Get back to the Normandy now. We’re going to need your help coordinating the galactic effort. Hackett out.”  
  
Very soon, the shuttle arrives in its home at the Normandy. The moment the shuttle doors open, Shepard tears off his helmet, dashing to the elevator and then the War Room. There, holographic images of the battle in space alternate with those on Earth. Video screens from a dozen cities revolve around the War Room. Shepard barks orders, coordinates battle plans, and in general begins to fight the war for the entire galaxy.


	16. Refusal, Part 2: Low EMS, BAD END

On the Citadel, Bailey and his forces are holding their best against the endless wave of husks. But their best is proving to be too little, as their sheer numbers threaten to overwhelm their position. An unfortunate lieutenant is pulled over his parapet and left to the mercy of the mindless beasts, and another catches an unlucky shot to the head from a marauder.  
  
On Earth, troops roll out into war-torn streets. Reapers blast everything into pieces. Soldiers hide behind what little cover they could use, firing futile shots at the Reapers while watching the inevitable tide of husks and cannibals approach them. It isn’t a matter of how they could win; it’s more of when they lose their outpost.  
  
Everywhere across the galaxy, the fight continues poorly. On Palaven, turians flee in terror as Reapers, despite bring riddled with artillery fire, advance relentlessly. General Corinthius looks on through a pair of macro-binoculars, jaw dropped, calling for the general retreat. The city is lost, and with it all its inhabitants.  
  
Krogans charge into waves of ravagers, leaving naught but slime and guts. Urdnot Darg is the one leading the advance, and punctuates his triumph by blasting a marauder at point-blank range with his Claymore shotgun – just before a Harvester strikes him down. Behind him, the horde of krogan warriors fall prey too, and their charge becomes a chaotic exodus.  
  
Asari combine their strength to rip apart advancing husks and cannibals. Lieutenant Kurin leads her squad through hell, but manages to bail out a trapped group of civilians. When a few cannibals get too close for comfort, she focuses her biotic energies – to no use. She’s spent. She’s given all she could give. A Reaper-Destroyer emerges from between two office blocks, and in a single moment, everything is erased.  
  
The Systems Alliance Fleet is a floating mass of debris around Earth’s atmosphere. The bent and broken nameplate of the SSV Normandy slowly, almost languidly, falls into the skies, burning up as it does so. Far above it, a shattered N7 helmet bounces off the warped hull of another ship, before passing into distant memory.  
  
Reapers are everywhere. There are no safe havens left anywhere in the galaxy. More and more new Reapers are formed from the decomposed raw material of the harvested races, like so much cattle. The cycles continue, as does the war with the Devourers.  
  
Many thousand years in the future, deep below the surface of a planet only known to the space-faring peoples of the galaxy as the home of a number of incredibly advanced progenitors, a beacon sparks to life. The voice of one of them – a sonorous, female tone – begins to speak.  
  
 _“If you’re hearing this…then there is still hope. Hope that you can avoid the mistakes we made. We fought the Reapers, but we failed to stop them. We did everything we could. We built the Crucible, but it didn’t work. We fought as a united galaxy, but it wasn’t enough. I only hope the information in this capsule is enough to help you before it is too late. My name is Dr. Liara T’Soni. Herein lies the recounting of our war with the Reapers.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is not too different from the ending you get if you tell the Star Child to suck an egg (or shoot it in the face), but what if you did actually have enough to beat the Reapers? Let's find out...


	17. Refusal, Part 2: High EMS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're talking like 4000+ EMS here, guys.
> 
> You basically need to make every single "correct" choice and probably play some multiplayer because this isn't meant to be an "easy" ending to get.

On the Citadel, Bailey and his forces are holding their best against the endless wave of husks. But their best is proving to be too little, as their sheer numbers threaten to overwhelm their position. An unfortunate lieutenant is pulled over his parapet and left to the mercy of the mindless beasts, and another catches an unlucky shot to the head from a marauder. Then, a shuttle full of Alliance marines sweeps in, and an automated turret rains death on the husks. The tide stemmed for now, Bailey waves a salute to the marines.  
  
On Earth, troops roll out into war-torn streets. Reapers blast everything into pieces. Soldiers hide behind what little cover they could use; firing futile shots at the Reapers while watching the inevitable tide of husks and cannibals approach them. It isn’t a matter of how they could win; it’s more of when they lose their outpost. Then, an Alliance frigate breaks through the stratosphere, and with a few well-placed shots, staggers the Reaper. Three more join it in seconds, taking the monster down. The soldiers raise their weapons in a great cheer.  
  
Everywhere across the galaxy, the fight continues on. On Palaven, turians cheer as Reaper corpses, riddled with artillery fire, flail their last. General Corinthius looks on through a pair of macro-binoculars, allowing himself a small smile before calling in the next mortar detachment. Shuttles and fighters dart through the skies, taking down Reaper forces from above.  
  
Krogans charge into waves of ravagers, leaving naught but slime and guts. Urdnot Darg is the one leading the advance, and punctuates his triumph by blasting a marauder at point-blank range with his Claymore shotgun. Behind him is an unstoppable legion of krogan warriors, recruited from a dozen clans but united in their single purpose.  
  
Asari combine their strength to rip apart advancing husks and cannibals. Lieutenant Kurin leads her squad through hell, but manages to bail out a trapped group of civilians. When a few cannibals get too close for comfort, she throws the whole lot of them into a singularity, bites her lip, and carries on. A shuttle sweeps by, and they make their escape, watching commandos push the tide back.  
  
The salarian fleet comes to the brink of decimation, but a geth squadron swoops in, giving them critical minutes to turn the situation around. For the first time in centuries, the two fleets hail each other in welcome. Pleasantries put aside, their combined efforts punch enough of a hole in the Reapers for a daring escape.  
  
Hours, days, even weeks later, the Reaper advance slowly grinds to a bloody stalemate. It’s a difficult fight, but far from impossible. Components of the Crucible are broken down and shared among allies, and the Prothean knowledge goes a long way in gaining that slight tactical advantage that ultimately means everything. And right in the middle of it all is _Commodore_ Shepard, who might be the only man – or only  thing, for that matter – who can keep all the disparate forces together. Whatever happens, the galaxy won’t fall on his watch.


	18. Refusal, Epilogue: Galaxy Survives, BEST ENDING

Years later, on the Citadel.  
  
Contingents from the Council races stand in military formations, armed only with ceremonial weapons. At the forefront stand two human contingents. Behind them are the asari, the turians, then the salarians. The quarians have also sent a small party of dignitaries, and the elcor stand next to them too. The parade commander marches to the centre of the dais, and barks a command. All stand at attention, and then turn to the centre aisle.  
  
The doors slide open to reveal the members of Shepard’s team – the men and women who won the war with the Reapers. They walk in dressed smartly, some in new uniforms. As their names are called one by one, they approach the podium. There, _Fleet Admiral_ Shepard, newly promoted supreme commander of Alliance forces, presents them each with one of the highest decorations in the Alliance – a golden medallion with the Alliance symbol engraved upon it.  
  
Then, Shepard takes the stand.  
  
“To the assembled delegates: We have endured the most difficult trial we’ve ever seen in our combined lifetimes. With the threat of the Reapers gone forever, we can focus on the rebuilding, the reconstruction. For many, life will go on, not as though this had never happened, but with the pain of their losses still etched in their memory. To honour the man who made the final push on Earth possible, I present to you the newest addition to the Citadel Council: Ambassador Anderson.”  
  
Anderson, dressed in a new suit, appears from the other end of stage. He is received with warm applause by the assembled dignitaries, including Councillor Tevos, Councillor Sparatus, the new salarian councillor, and his new assistant, Dominic Osoba.  
  
He waits for it to quiet down, then speaks. “Thank you. I believe that Admiral Shepard knows full well that I’m no politician. I said as much when we were considering who to appoint as the first human councillor.”  
  
A short ripple of laughter from the crowd. He continues. “What I hope to achieve as part of this council is one goal only. Before we destroyed the Reapers, we learned of an even greater threat: A race of sentient beings who consume all in their wake. In our mourning, in our reconstruction, we cannot let the unity forged by our common cause subside. As a galaxy, we’ve ignored Shepard’s words before…to this end. Never again. If we stand together, we will be unconquered. Divided, we cannot survive. Thank you.”  
  
Another round of applause sounds as Anderson steps down from the podium, inviting Admiral Shepard and his teammates to him to share the spotlight. One by one, they leave the stage.

* * *

As Shepard departs from the assembly hall, his lover takes him by the arm and plants a kiss on his cheek, walking with him as he continues down the corridor. He’s soon joined by his teammates. Soon, talk of travel begins to arise, and the liberated homeworlds are suggested one by one. Thessia, Palaven and Sur’Kesh have retained much of their beauty, though scarred. Rannoch has become a new home not only for the quarians, who have begun to shun the use of their enviro-suits but for the geth, who peacefully coexist with others for the first time in centuries. Tuchanka is recovering not only from the Reapers but from a thousand generations of conflict and strife.  
  
Shepard jokes he’ll soon be drowned in work commanding all the Alliance fleets, but is eventually convinced to go for a final trip before his gainful employment. The _Normandy_ , now captained by Shepard’s ally in the Alliance who had gone through hell with him from Eden Prime to Virmire to Horizon, waits in drydock, ready for one last journey with Shepard…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it, the 'best' possible ending I wrote. It's only achievable if you've done everything 'right': A fighting fit Commander Shepard being the best resource against the Devourers in a possible ME4. That's all I've written, I hope you all like it! =)


End file.
